How to Use an Old Smartphone or Tablet as a Security Camera

Want to keep an eye on your home but don’t have the funds or DIY skills to install a security camera? If you have a spare smartphone or tablet or even an old one taking up space in the back of a drawer, you can forget spending money and trying to drill a straight hole.

Read on as we show you how to turn older generation Android phones into sophisticated security cameras.

Security camera app for iOS

One of the best options for turning an old iOS device into a security camera is an application called Manything. Manything converts your spare iOS device into a sophisticated video monitoring camera in seconds. With live streaming, motion alerts, remote control and cloud recording it’s the easy way to watch your home, business, and pets when you’re away.

To get started:

• Download Manything from the App Store to both the old and new iOS devices.
• From the old phone, open Settings and disable Auto Lock under General.
• Register or sign in to Manything using an email address or Facebook account.
• Select Camera mode with the old iOS device and Viewer mode for the new device.
• Press the red button from the camera device to start the live stream.
• From the new phone, the live stream will appear in the list of streaming devices. Alternatively, you can view the stream from a computer by signing in

How to turn your Android device into a security camera.

• Download IP Webcam from Google Play to the old device.
• Launch IP Webcam and set your video preferences, effects, power management settings, and motion or sound detecting, if desired.
• To broadcast the stream remotely, register or sign in to Ivideon, test compatibility and enable the cloud stream.
• To start the stream, select Start server at the very bottom of the app.
• To view the stream:
• Find the provided IP address and port number on the phone setup as a security camera. From another device (computer, smartphone, or tablet), enter the IP address in the address bar of the Web browser.
• If you setup an Ivideon cloud stream, from a computer, visit ivideon.com and sign in.